Gun Control Facts

A 2nd Amendment Analysis

Why is there such a divide (gun control debate) on a Constitutional issue which has been a part of the very fabric of the United States for its entire life? Here’s my take and some gun control facts and statistics you maybe haven’t seen.

This is rather long, so bookmark it now if you aren’t sure you have the time, it’s a worthwhile read. And if the 2nd Amendment is as important to you as it is to me, if you’re against gun control in America, then please share this.

Anyone who identifies with the ultra-left or ultra-right and who is easily offended, save yourself the grief and move on along now. Anyone not-so-easily offended, those open to another perspective (whether you agree with me or not), and anyone interested in a former law enforcement officer’s take on the 2nd Amendment, read on. While I’ll discuss some gun control facts below, I’m also hoping to persuade Americans to vote for America. If I seem like an angry democrat, it’s because I am.

I am a registered and former office holding democrat, I’m a moderate, I support my party, the way it exists in some states and the way it used to exist nationally (in other words, not yet taken over by the New Socialist party). Like millions of other democrats, I do not support this move to the extreme left which is taking over our party; the damaging effects (like decaying social policies) couldn’t be more obvious.

Is anyone bothered enough to actually CONSIDER the damage and harm that Obama is causing to our country as a result of his blatant and embarrassing attempt to build up the democratic base by virtually removing any barrier to entering the United States? And make no mistake, as a democrat I know full well why he’s taking this position, and so do you. Unlike many other democrats, I am NOT afraid to speak out when it is crystal clear that my nation is being seriously harmed… neither my party nor yours is so great that our nation should suffer! This administration and his cronies do NOT represent my values and I’m certain millions of other democrats feel the same.

The time has never been more right for other democrats to start showing courage and standing up for what they know inside is wrong with this nation. And it’s time for conservatives to embrace the middle ground which unites this nation.

I recall a time when the major divide between right and left revolved around fair wages and work conditions, federal spending, abortion and the like. Recall after 9/11 how united both parties were? What changed? The threat? No, politics. Of course the left will say “WMD’s, where was the WMD’s?” Never mind that Bill Clinton’s administration was the first to claim that Iraq had them, it feels much better to blame Bush for getting it wrong.

Remember when, on October 9, 1998, under President Clinton, members of Congress wrote to the president:

“[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq’s refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs.”

Who were signatories to this letter? Why, John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Milulski, Tom Daschle, and more.

It became politically necessary for those not in power, democrats, to bash President Bush and the war effort. Not because militarily he failed, his success numbers seem more impressive than anything Obama has done with our military. Who’s mostly controlling Iraq, you remember, that place so many Americans died fighting in? Who’s about to finally build nuclear weapons? Who hates the United States? Why, Iran, of course. You know, the one’s who have openly stated what they would like to do the to United States (um, that would be you and I). See any sign AT ALL that Obama is concerned about it?

They weren’t REALLY worried about Bush’s now relatively modest spending, which increased by a few trillion dollars AFTER our nation was attacked and thousands of Americans were killed. I recall vividly how Obama called Bush a traitor for those few trillion dollars spent over 8 years, despite the conditions.

Does this mean I’m not really a democrat, that I’m defending Bush? Not at all. It means I’m not stupid. I am sick and tired of the political posturing and watching these socialists wreak havoc on our nation, causing harm that we may very well never recover from.

No, my grandchildren will never see the U.S. debt paid off now thanks to Obama more than DOUBLING our national debt since he’s been in office. We’ll almost certainly see a $20 Trillion dollar debt before he leaves office! These people talk about Bush’s corporate bailout, yet under Obama we’ve seen just how deep they can pad their own pockets and that of the party. No, it was nothing more than politics which has caused such grave harm to our nation. Because the left recognized an opportunity to create a divide and they pounced, and people bit, without ever even thinking about it and seemingly still now, years later, never even questioning whatever the machine puts out.

It’s not overly difficult to manipulate people the way they have, after all they control a majority of our colleges and universities as well as a majority of mainstream media (don’t forget Hollywood). It’s easy pickings for them when people won’t think for themselves.

Gun Control Facts And The Democratic Party

These days it’s far greater, this divide growing inside our nation. It almost seems as if the moderates in both major parties have more in common than either of them does with the loudest, furthest reaches of their respective parties. The socialists want to propagate and direct the narrative that most democrats align themselves with the gun-grabbing antics of the loudest, most corrupt fringe of our party… I can assure you, that is not the case.

Just like it’s a lie that most law enforcement officers support gun control. I’m not talking about the liberal-appointed Chiefs of Police who must fall in line to keep their jobs, no, the rank and file, the men and women who work the streets and who you and I see every day… they do NOT support this madness (overwhelmingly so) because they SEE where the problem lies and they KNOW that making something illegal does nothing to stop criminals (e.g. drug laws). See for yourself here at the PoliceOne.com survey.

Pelosi speaking out about the poor, defenseless victims at Tiananmen Square, yet she is the first who would disarm YOU.

People have, since the dawn of man, had the right and in fact took it upon themselves to defend their lives and property. It was the English Bill of Rights of 1689 which is credited with our pursuit of a similar right in America. In short, King James II had tried to disarm his opposition, the Protestants, and a revolution ensued. Following the king’s overthrow the right to bear arms was codified in English law (though it’s been de-clawed since then, obviously).

You see, it isn’t in a fairy tale that power-hungry politicians try to disarm and overpower their opponents, it happens quite often and has even happened in our lifetimes, yet leftists would have us believe that we have no need to defend ourselves, they (the government) got our backs.

I’m a former Sheriff and long time law enforcement officer and I can say firsthand (and facts bear it out) that it is seldom, very seldom, that armed violence is prevented by the arrival of law enforcement. Statistically we know that more often than not police arrive after the crime occurred.

So where in that body of evidence would someone even entertain the notion that law enforcement can protect you, your home and your family? Further, what could these socialists possibly be feeding their followers that would have them surrender their very basic right to self-defense, their right to hunt, their Constitutional right to own arms? There are no gun control pros and cons… guns do not kill people, sick people do. Guns do protect people, and nations, that much is clear.

Gun Control Facts – Statistics

Let us remove the veil of scare tactics and inflated nonsense provided by liberal gun control statistics. There’s the popular leftist byline that says gun control issues are all about public safety? Really? As you’re about to see, if you’re against gun control facts are on your side. And I’m not going to use a single fact or statistic from the National Rifle Association (N.R.A.) so that there’s no arguing with the numbers.

According to the latest firearms data from 2012 (source -FBI data and stats), 8,855 people were the victim of a homicide by firearm violence.

To put that in to more of a perspective, the very guns that these people seek to limit, rifles, (you know, the ones which would have the most impact in repelling a power-hungry would-be dictator), and I’m talking about ALL classes of rifles…

…there was a whopping 322 homicides in 2012.

And only a fraction of THOSE were actually the assault rifles that these people are targeting, the rest were simply… rifles. That puts those scary, nasty assault-looking rifles in to perspective. Almost 33 times more people were killed by drunk drivers than all types of rifles… wow, that’s a public safety issue if I’ve ever seen one.

There were twice as many boating deaths in 2012 (651) (according to the Coast Guard statistics) as there were deaths by these senseless assault rifles, which, let’s face it, they may LOOK like an assault rifle but they are every bit as semi-automatic as a hunting rifle or any other semi-automatic rifle… but don’t bother trying to tell that to these people.

Ever listen to the socialist talking heads go on about dangerous firearms only to quickly discover that they don’t know the first thing about guns, and certainly not gun types, and more importantly they don’t really understand (or do they) the truth about how low the risks and dangers of firearms really are, or the lives saved by them every single day? Watch this clown in gun-grabbing action:

Now this is important, perhaps the most important of all metrics, so please pay attention. In that same period there were 678 homicides as a result of “feet, hands and other physical means”… wow, who would’ve thought that little ole hands would be more dangerous to the public than that dreadful assault-looking rifle.

But, there’s more. How about simple, every day items like, say, a blunt object? According to the FBI, there were 518 homicides as a result of “Blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc.)“. What? That can’t be right? More than those nasty, scary looking assault-type rifles? What?

For those still not seeing how silly these claims made by the New Socialists are, the FBI reports that in 2012 there were 1,589 homicides as a result of knives or cutting instruments. That alone is more than the number of people killed by rifles AND shotguns, combined. How’s that for anti gun control facts?

And I’m not discussing pistols in this article, which have more attributed deaths, because they aren’t the primary target of current gun control laws; these socialists seem bent on the rifles which look (thanks to some plastic) like a military assault rifle. And no citizenry is ever going to repel a power-hungry government with pistols, which is exactly why I believe rifles are of such great concern to these power mongers.

In 2012, in Chicago alone, the most gun-strict city in the nation, there were over 500 murders… so nationwide there was an amazing 322 murders by ALL RIFLES, yet this one socialist city had over 500 overall homicides? And THESE people suppose themselves so smart as to tell the rest of the nation how we ought best go about curbing violent crime? To who does that sound reasonable at all?

The final piece to this puzzle is this, despite the hoopla being made in an effort to disarm an entire populace amid claims of “public safety” and the dangers of guns, firearm homicides have been steadily dropping for years! But you wouldn’t know that if all you did was listen to these people, they make it sound as it if all hell is breaking loose. When it comes to gun control facts make it clear that there’s an enormous amount of deceit and lying going on for the sole purpose of disarming the nation… yet these people don’t ask themselves why their government is so bent on that goal.

Homicides are dropping as are homicides by firearm. Forget the scare tactic hype which tells you there were SO MANY gun deaths… as always they conveniently fail to mention that more than 60% of those gun deaths are suicides, and if someone wants to kill themselves there’s nothing any of us can do about it. The numbers shown here are the facts and directly from the F.B.I. (source cited earlier).

If you want to take this even further, read this article to see how there were really only 2,200 firearm homicides (of all types) in 2010 if you exclude gangs, which we know aren’t about to follow ANY gun laws. So the net result of any gun laws would affect about 2,200 or so non gang member homicides by firearm; a tiny fraction of what the gun control proponents want you to believe because it paints an entirely different picture of the threat.

See, gangs commit more crimes and terrorize a much larger populace, but rather than directly addressing the problems caused by decades of failing social policies that THEY created, they choose to disarm the law-abiding public… a reactionary tactic that we’re used to with this type of socialist.

And for your reference, as further proof and implication of data manipulation that goes on for political gain, see this article on how gun ownership/homicide rate data is skewed to the point of uselessness. Or read this study which shows that more guns does not equal more deaths or crime, an international analysis.

Why is drunk driving, if as the numbers shows it’s such a massive danger to society and the public at large, why then is it only a Misdemeanor offense which results more often than not in no jail time? In some states repeat offenders may receive a paltry few day jail sentence.

I mean, if guns, which results in fewer deaths, are so mightily important due to the number of deaths they cause, why isn’t something more aggressive and sincere done about drunk driving? Well, for starters, no drunk driver is going to threaten the status of power-hungry politicians. And, well, they can’t apply the party power angle to drunk driving laws.

Hidden Agenda Behind Liberal-Driven Gun Control Facts

None of the mass shootings which we’ve seen highlighted by ultra-liberals would’ve been prevented by stricter gun laws, anymore than the senseless multi-trillion dollar “War On Drugs” had any impact at all in getting drugs off the streets. In fact, as if to show spite, the drug trade has increased exponentially since our war on drugs began… so much for the argument that laws solve moral issues.

You can buy illegal drugs on virtually any street corner, despite very aggressive drug laws… so what is the chance, for anyone following along with an ounce of common sense, is there that making firearms illegal is going to curb gun violence (at the expense of citizen rights)? I just love the progressive-biased articles or studies which portend to show some linkage to gun ownership and crime, never mentioning the exact opposite proposition…. the correlation between STRICT gun laws and crime.

How did it work out for Chicago? How about D.C.? Anti gun control arguments are about more than just stats, it’s about common sense, it’s about liberty in the United States.

But remember, during prohibition (you know, that era which many socialists like to point to when down-talking conservatives) we saw how effective it was to legislate morality, yet in such a massive irony, here we have these New Age liberals telling us we need to do just that… 16 Oz Cola anyone? I think it’s this very issue which is causing so many Americans to align themselves with the Libertarian party… the government is out of control.

Politicians, especially those seeking to garner power, have sought to enact laws which 1) lessened the likelihood of their demise (political or otherwise), 2) weakened their political opponents, and 3) improved the circumstance of their affiliated political party.

Instead of enacting stiffer, tougher gun laws on the good people of the United States, can we not return to common sense accountability? We don’t need tougher gun laws, there are plenty already on the books. We all know, now, that the federal government doesn’t even enforce the ones we already have! See this ABCNews article, which discusses how there’s been a 30% DROP in firearms prosecutions since Obama took office, yet this administration gives every public impression that they are so gravely concerned about firearms violence.

See the picture here… their real concern is disarming the public, it has little if anything to do with actually curbing crime. But these other facts and other perspectives will never be heard by those who insist on only believing what the socialist hype machine feeds them; they much prefer the pro gun control facts provided to them, true or not.

The REAL Problem

The problem is ignorance and blind loyalty to a party, any party, rather than loyalty to country and the future survival of country. What may seem like a political win today for a party could ultimately unravel the entire framework if at some point in the future we have a large enough group of unscrupulous politicians bent on seizing unbridled power. Yes, the weak-minded among us scoff at such a notion, despite numerous glaring examples of it happening worldwide in the past 100 years, even in our lives.

No one thinks Obama is going to attempt a coup, it’s about the big picture… you cannot get the rights or the guns back once they’re gone. Why would any sane, educated person support disarming themselves and lay every single ounce of their very survival at the hands and whim of another human being, or group of them in the case of Congress? Who knows which nut will be in power next, or in 10 years, 40 years?

We must be caretakers, too, of our future generations. Our country was framed in a way which thoughtfully sought to limit government corruption and their power over the people they allegedly serve. People are so willing, despite evidence begging otherwise, to throw all of that away. It’s maddening at how silly this all is. Have you really looked at the gun control facts?

The other problem this presents is that these are supposed to be rights, the VERY CORNERSTONES of our great nation, but once the door has been opened, that politicians and the government can interpret and decide which of them apply, they are no longer rights at all, but merely privileges granted by the government, the very thing our forefathers sought to prevent.

Think about the implications of this silly notion. What if the next target (by any party) is freedom of speech, or freedom from unlawful search and seizure… how would these socialist supporters feel about it then? We already see a heavy-handed government building under the leadership of Obama… the illegal and unbridled targeting of anyone who opposes them… wow, does that sound like something we would expect in Russia or what.

Notice how many socialists still defend this administration even in the face of this kind of corruption? It’s exactly that kind of blind and senseless loyalty to party that I was referring to.

But go ahead fanatical left, whittle away at the rights which have guaranteed our freedoms, make sure these become nothing more than privileges, to be revoked by whatever lunatic happens to find themselves at the helm in the future. Be proud, you’re being a loyal and faithful party dog after all. Hold your head high that YOUR party is winning this poll or that?

Be proud, defend the corruption happening at the hands of your party, as long as it results in a party win, right? And hey, you might get a pat on the back at the next cool kid party for being such a staunch supporter despite it all.

2nd Amendment – Gun Control Debate

As it relates to the argument that some would use, that the 2nd Amendment was only included “for a regulated militia“, you cannot take a few words out of an entire era’s-worth of discussion and debate and then claim it as fact.

Or, how often have you heard someone say “yeah, but they were talking about muskets.” It’s obvious who has no idea what they’re talking about. Here are some gun control historical facts.

In 1788, as he tried to explain the notion or idea behind the current 2nd Amendment, Alexander Hamilton wrote in his 29th Essay of The Federalist that:

If circumstances should at any time oblige the government to form an army of any magnitude, that army can never be formidable to the liberties of the people while there is a large body of citizens, little, if at all, inferior to them in discipline and the use of arms, who stand ready to defend their own rights and those of their fellow-citizens.

Think about that. Hamilton, himself a federalist, is clearly stating that as long as “citizens” are “little, if at all” inferior to the established national military, in terms of armament, then the liberties of the people can never be lost. That’s very clear intent.

James Monroe included “the right to keep and bear arms” in a list of basic “human rights“, which he drafted and hoped to have included in the Constitution. Not “basic state rights”, “basic hunting rights”, “basic militia rights” or “basic government rights”, but basic human rights.

Patrick Henry, at a speech during the Ratification Convention in Virginia in June 1788, said:

“Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.”

Samuel Adams said:

“Be never construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the press, or the rights of conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms;”

In 1803, analyzing and reflecting on the 2nd Amendment, St. George Tucker, a lawyer and scholar at the College of William and Mary, wrote that:

“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep, and bear arms, shall not be infringed. Amendments to C. U. S. Art. 4.This may be considered as the true palladium of liberty…. The right of self defence is the ﬁrst law of nature: in most governments it has been the study of rulers to conﬁne this right within the narrowest limits possible. Wherever standing armies are kept up, and the right of the people to keep and bear arms is, under any colour or pretext whatsoever, prohibited, liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction.”

Our country was formed with the very real threat of government abuse in mind. Our founding fathers understood well human nature; they understood that man, however well intended initially, may succumb to the urge to seize power and control. Government is, after all, nothing more than “other” men and women like us, they are not gods or saints, or even superior in any way… why would we yield our very lives to their whims?

Hear what one very proud American immigrant has to

say about the importance of the 2nd Amendment

Know Why The NRA Exists? Hear It From Black Leaders!

Make no mistake, progressives today have claimed that its not them who lead the KKK and who held black people down, but the conservatives. Wrong. It was conservatives, and Christians, and the NRA who made every effort to protect black lives, from the liberal democrats. In fact the NRA exists solely because of the need to arm black people so that they could defend themselves. Shhh, don’t tell that to progressives, they’ll call you a liar.

Sensible Americans Must Redefine Party Politics

First and foremost, citizens must re-evaluate their allegiance… it should never be given to a political party, but to their country. As a democrat I will never vote for nor support anyone who intends to infringe upon the liberties or rights of the American people, regardless of their party. I will fight for someone’s pursuit of happiness, whether I agree with it or not. I’d expect true American patriots to support my right to keep and bear arms, whether they happen to like guns or not. And make no mistake, “American Patriot” is NOT a negative word as the far left have tried to make it, which they attempt to use to single out conservatives. I am a PROUD American and a Democrat! I AM A PATRIOT!

Lately I don’t feel like my party is the party for all like they claim, it’s the party of those who agree with them. If you disagree you might very well suffer the wrath of the elitist flag-bearers. Have you ever seen how the talk show hosts love to practice their verbal bullying on people who dare go outside the liberal fray? Forget healthy debate and acceptance, and tolerance of different views… there doesn’t seem to be room for that in some circles. Anyone willing to TRULY take a look around them will see that these days it’s the tolerant, all-inclusive of the left who have the most dislike and least acceptance of anyone with differing views… isn’t that what was always said about the right?

So you don’t like guns and therefore you don’t support the 2nd Amendment right, which others hold dearly? Should straight people then not support gay rights, just because they aren’t gay? Should white guys not support freedom from discrimination because they don’t suffer from it? Should average people not support the right of the free press because they aren’t directly involved in the press? Should people not support religious freedom because they themselves aren’t religious? Or the right from unlawful search and seizure because they’ve never been violated?

Party extremists on both sides have turned America into a well-divided mush of people who don’t support one another, or the health of our nation, and who will cut off their nose to spite their face.

We’ve made strides in eliminating sex-based and racial discrimination, and the move towards national sexual orientation tolerance and acceptance, yet I’m sickened when I see a debate online and it’s invariably the “tolerant” left who resort to name calling and verbal bullying, chastising someone for “their” religious preference (anyone see the stuff printed online by “the left” about Romney’s religion?), the embarrassing jokes about McCain’s disability or Palin and the “lipstick on a pig” remarks? Exactly, that’s my party, the one for everyone and the one who fights for everyone’s freedom and rights to believe however they like and be who they are… yep. And conservatives don’t get a pass, either, but this is an address to my own party.

Recall in 1985 when democratic Gov. Cuomo said that those who opposed seat belt laws where “hunters who drink beer, don’t vote, and lie to their wives about where they were all weekend.” So, you know, who wants to be THAT guy, so people fall in line and give their support. The law was great, that’s not the point, it’s how these people abuse others and force compliance all the while telling each other how they love and support everyone and we’re all united.

How about Presidential candidate Obama, in 2008, saying that people who live in small towns “get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them, or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” If it weren’t so blatantly sad it would be funny how these people continue to get by with this rhetoric under the cover of the “all-inclusive” party flag.

I can find good and bad in both the Republican and Democratic party. Only a fool would treat the health of our nation as nothing more than a football game, hoping “their side” wins and supporting them “no matter what.” Yet that is exactly how so many treat our political system.

I have a side… the American side.

Americans, one and all, support the rights which we all enjoy and which are guaranteed to us all. We cannot pick and choose which one matters to us, they all matter and we all must fight for them, together. Or risk losing them one by one. No soldier ever died for the 5th Amendment, as vital as it is, but many have given it all protecting our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, as a whole.

Beyond Gun Control Facts – Let’s Reunite Our Nation

Don’t let politicians divide our nation. We are all united as citizens. The Bill of Rights protects us all, but only when we all protect them. Politicians win, and they know it, when they can rally people behind some cause which effectively divides citizens from one another. Will we continue to let these manipulating, power-hungry, money whores manipulate an entire nation? Yes, the money whores are on both sides of the isle. It should come as no surprise that out of the top 10 richest members of congress, 7 are democrats! See this article for more.

Or will we stand together, again, and choose to elect only those who truly care about our nation, our rights and our future, and punish (by not voting for) those who practice deceit and borderline criminal activity under the guise of politics? Let our unity be supporting candidates who support mainstream America, the moderates among both the democratic and republican party; we moderates are the majority in the country, yet we’re being led by the tiny fringe.

I’ll vote for the best national candidate regardless of what party they belong to, and I hope you will do the same. I love my party, if not I could easily change. I believe in our ideals and our fight, but what I’ve seen taking place over the past decade or so, this attempt to move my party to the extreme left, that’s something I can no longer tolerate.

Republicans, democrats, libertarians… I appeal to you to evaluate the direction of our nation, the good and bad that candidates offer, and to vote according to the good of our nation, not the good of ANY party. Sure, most of us will support our party, especially locally, but it must not be blind support and certainly not “no matter what”. That is both foolish and irresponsible as citizens.

I welcome and appreciate your thoughts and comments on these gun control facts or anything related to my essay. You’re even welcome to tell me why I’m wrong if you feel that way (I won’t bully you with words, I promise)…

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I'm a Democrat like JFK.He was a Lifetime NRA member.The radical left has steered our party so far away from common sense values that JFK would be sick to his stomach. It was a radical leftist (Oswald) that killed him.

"The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them."